Method and apparatus for parking lot metering

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for parking lot metering. The present invention allows multi-space meters to separately manage and control premium parking spaces, such as those for charging electric vehicles or those which supply electric power for engine block heaters in both pay-by-space and pay-and-display systems. Such premium spaces can be managed together over large areas (e.g., a city or region), or may be managed over smaller areas (e.g., the domain of an individual kiosk), or individually per parking space. Management includes pricing, time limits, hours, seasons of operation, and restrictions by vehicle type, and alternative pricing and restrictions for non-premium hours.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/055,565, filed Feb. 27, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/324,209, filed Jul. 6, 2014, now abandoned,which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/659,376,filed Mar. 5, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,812,353, which claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/252,909, filed onOct. 19, 2009. All of the above mentioned applications are incorporatedby reference herein in their entireties.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a system and method forparking meters. More specifically, the present invention relates to asystem and method for a multi-space parking meter that differentiatesbetween ordinary parking spaces and premium parking spaces, for exampleat which electric vehicles may charge.

Description of the Prior Art

There are a growing number of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) andplug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) on the roads of the world. For the sakeof this discussion we refer to all of these vehicles simply as electricvehicles, or EVs. This growing population of EVs will require a richcharging environment, allowing them to plug in and charge under variousconditions and times and places during the night and day.

Several companies have begun to supply charging site infrastructure forEVs. These companies are providing their own infrastructure formetering, timing, and billing their customers. These companies oftenrevenue share with city government or private parking lot owners.

EV charging is intrinsically tied to parking: other than hybrid-electricvehicles, EVs must be parked to be charged, and even PHEVs exhibitbetter economy and a lower carbon footprint when charged from the plugrather than from their fuel-driven generator.

A change occurring in the parking meter industry is being driven by thehigh cost of infrastructure and the need for more efficient ways todesignate, control, and enforce metered parking spaces. This change is amove away from single-space (i.e., one meter per parking space) tomulti-space metered parking. “Multi-space” is a general industry termdesignating as few as one, but often several strategically locatedpayment centers or kiosks, each kiosk serving multiple parking spaces inits proximity, perhaps redundantly.

There are two basic methods currently employed for using a centralkiosk-based, multi-space system: one is “pay-by-space” and the other is“pay-and-display”.

Pay-by-space parking requires each parking space to have a unique,corresponding number. A customer parks a vehicle in a parking space,notes the number of the parking space, and proceeds immediately to anearby payment kiosk. At the kiosk, the customer is asked to input thenumber of the parking space, select an amount of time required, and thenpay an appropriate fee, typically using any of several payment methods,including credit card. The customer does not need to return to thevehicle to display a receipt. With pay-by-space, parking enforcementofficers can visit the kiosk or otherwise (e.g., though a wirelessconnection) obtain from the kiosk a list of spaces that should be empty.Vehicles inappropriately occupying a space that should be empty may beticketed.

Pay-and-display parking does not require parking spaces to be numbered.Instead, a customer parks a vehicle in a parking space and proceedsimmediately to a nearby payment kiosk. The customer selects only theamount of time required and pays an appropriate fee, choosing fromseveral payment options as with pay-by-space. The customer is issued areceipt that is date and time stamped and indicates the amount of timepurchased. More specifically, the receipt indicates when the amount oftime purchased will expire. However, since the kiosk is unaware of whichspace is being used, the customer must return to the vehicle and leavethe receipt on the dashboard so that it is clearly displayed through thewindshield. With pay-and-display, parking enforcement officers do notneed to visit the kiosk, but instead simply look for and ticket vehicleshaving either no receipt, or whose receipt has expired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention adapts and makes use of existing infrastructureresources rather than to add expensive new infrastructure.

The focus of the present invention is to incorporate EV charging andbilling into existing parking meter systems with special emphasis on thenewer credit card based, central kiosk, multi-space parking technology.

The present invention operates with either multi-space parking methodand enables EV charging and billing where applied. The followingdiscussion independently various embodiments of the invention for eachparking method.

Pay-by-Space

In this case, the pay-by-space customer would be driving an EV and wouldbe canvassing the parking lot or parking spaces on the street, lookingfor signage indicating an EV charge enabled parking space. When an openspace is found, the customer would park the vehicle and note the uniqueID for the space (e.g., the parking space number).

At this point, the customer can plug in a charge cord for charging theEV. This step may be performed later, however if performed at this time,the customer will not have to return to the vehicle following histransaction at the payment kiosk.

The customer would then proceed to the payment center kiosk and inputthe appropriate space number.

The kiosk, based on its database, would know that that unique numbercorresponds to an EV charging space.

In one embodiment, the kiosk may notify the customer and confirm thatthis is an EV charging space. If customer confirms, then the kiosk candisplay the times and parking fees for that space.

In such an embodiment, the kiosk may restrict issuance of the parkingspace, if as a matter of policy parking in that space is reserving forEVs, either all of the time, or for certain hours. If the customerindicates that no EV charging will be used, the kiosk cancel thetransaction.

In an alternative embodiment, the kiosk does not specifically notify orconfirm that this is an EV charging space.

As a matter of policy, there may be a premium attached to parking in theEV space and/or for use of the EV charging unit. Further, such premiummay only be for certain hours, e.g., for those hours when EV charging isin greatest demand, or for those hours when charging is available. Thiswill be flexible and programmable within the context of the software ofthe billing kiosk and central billing network.

There are several options for enabling the charging at the designatedsite. The simplest is to have the power to the charging outlet turned onat all times, anticipating that an EV will park in the space and plugin.

If parking is restricted to EVs, then one could have a sensor, such asthe one taught by Quinn in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/501,406,to determine when a vehicle is parked in the space. However, in oneembodiment of the present invention, the output of the sensor is used inthe present invention to enable charging. Once the vehicle is pluggedinto the charging outlet, the customer will go to the kiosk and pay topark, or risk the cost of a parking fine. It is up to the owner todecide if the EV parking space is restricted to EVs only, and to ensurethat non-EVs and unpaid parking behaviors will be fined.

Another method is to “eavesdrop” or piggyback on the communication fromthe central kiosk to a central billing center or other entity, notingthe space number the EV driver inputted and whether it is an EV chargeenabled space and then enabling the EV charging power to flow based onthe billing confirmation sent back to the kiosk. In this embodiment, anexternal communication device is used to sense the communications fromthe kiosk to the central billing network and use that signal to enable aspecific EV space for a chosen period of time based on the successfulbilling transaction.

In still another embodiment, the kiosk can be adapted to communicatedirectly with the charging station, to enable the charging outlet onlyif and while parking in the corresponding space has been paid for.

Pay-and-Display

With the pay-and-display system, the appropriate EV parking spaces wouldbe designated in the marked for EV charging.

The kiosk is programmed to know that some spaces within its area are EVenabled, but does not know if the customer chose one of those spaces.The kiosk must query the customer as an initial step in the transaction:Is your space EV enabled? If the response from the customer is “Yes”,then the kiosk shows the appropriate time and fee schedule for an EVcharging space, otherwise the non-EV schedule is shown.

After the customer has completed the payment transaction, a receipt isprinted and provided that the customer must display in the vehicle'swindow. If parked in an EV space, the receipt must have a mark or codedesignating payment for an EV enabled space. Perhaps it might be assimple as a large “EV” printed at the top or bottom.

In this embodiment the EV charging would always be enabled and does notrequire any activation from the kiosk.

The pay-and-display is the simplest way to introduce EV charging into anexisting multi-space parking meter system and allow for incrementalbilling for charging of an EV, if desired.

Once the EV charge space is located, the charge plug is added and theproper signage displayed. The software in the kiosk adapted to ask thecustomer if their space is EV enabled. If no, then proceed as usual forany space. If yes, then show a different fee schedule for time in thespace. If confirmed by customer, then transaction may occur. Onceconfirmed, a special EV designated receipt can be printed out for thecustomer to display in their vehicle.

Pay and display can also take the form where a driver drives up to akiosk for a parking structure, takes a ticket and proceeds to choose aparking space. In this case, the driver can indicate that he is drivingan EV and plan to park in an EV spot by pressing a button or giving someother indication to the system. A ticket is issued that is differentthan a non-EV ticket (it could have a logo or be a different color). Anydifference is within the scope of the present invention. The driver canthen legally park in an EV space and charge, paying either an attendantupon exiting or a machine prior to exit.

A drawback that inhibits wide adoption of electric vehicles is the lackof infrastructure for conveniently charging them; and while hybridelectric vehicles are increasingly popular, plug-in versions thatoperate to maximize use of their battery and minimize use of theirgasoline-fueled generator are rare, in part due to the same lack ofinfrastructure.

Provision of a vehicle charging infrastructure is inhibited primarily bycost: Such infrastructure has been expensive, typically requiringallocation of a physical location that vehicles can access and providingnew electric service to that location.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The aspects of the present invention will be apparent upon considerationof the following detailed description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which like referenced characters refer to likeparts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a parking area under management of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a ticket for electric vehicle parking;

FIG. 3 is a ticket for ordinary vehicle parking;

FIG. 4 is a ticket for rapid-charge electric vehicle parking;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram for a parking kiosk of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram for a parking violation indicator and/orelectric power source contactor to be controlled by the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 is an exemplary database of parking kinds and management rulessuitable for many parking areas such as shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is an exemplary database for managing the parking area of FIG. 1using individually numbered parking spaces;

FIG. 9 is an exemplary database for managing the parking area of FIG. 1without individually numbered parking spaces;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for a process of issuing a parking ticket withthe kiosk of FIG. 5;

FIG. 11 is a user interface which may be used in the process of FIG. 10without individually numbered parking spaces;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart for ticket expiry for use with individuallynumbered parking spaces;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart for ticket expiry for use without numberedparking spaces;

FIG. 14 is a report generated by the present invention for use withindividually numbered parking spaces; and,

FIG. 15 a report generated by the present invention for use withoutnumbered parking spaces.

While the invention will be described and disclosed in connection withcertain preferred embodiments and procedures, it is not intended tolimit the invention to those specific embodiments. Rather it is intendedto cover all such alternative embodiments and modifications as fallwithin the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the presentinvention is not limited to what is shown in the figures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIG. 1, sidewalk 101 is separated from street 103 by curb102. Parking area 100 comprises parking spaces 111-116. The parkingspaces are divided from each other by lines 107 painted in the street.Payment terminal 110, located on sidewalk 101 in proximity to parkingspaces 111-116, manages parking area 100 either alone or in conjunctionwith other terminals or remote systems (not shown).

Currently, four of parking spaces 111-116 are occupied: space 111 isoccupied by vehicle 130, space 113 is occupied by vehicle 140, space 115is occupied by 150, and space 116 is occupied by vehicle 160.

Depending on the mode of operation, a vehicle may display a parking passprovided by payment terminal 110 on its dashboard. In FIG. 1, three ofthe four vehicles are displaying a parking pass: vehicle 130 isdisplaying parking pass 131, vehicle 140 is displaying parking pass 141,vehicle 160 is displaying parking pass 161. Vehicle 150 is notdisplaying a parking pass.

Also depending on the mode of operation, each parking space 111-116 maybe uniquely identified. In FIG. 1, each parking space 111-116 bearscorresponding unique identification indicia 121-126. For example, space112 bears the number “#02” as shown by indicia 122.

Some spaces have particular properties. For example, spaces 111 and 115are adjacent to streetlights 132 and 152 respectively, each havingoutlets for charging electric vehicles. In this example, these outletsare Level 1 charging outlets, providing about 1,500 W of electricalpower, which can charge a typical electric vehicle in about 8 hours.Space 116 is adjacent to a high-capacity charging station 162 forcharging electric vehicles. Level 2 chargers, such as station 162, canprovide from about 3,000-20,000 W and can charge a typical electricalvehicle in 30 minutes to 4 hours, depending on the particular voltageand current available. While the outlets near spaces 111, 115, and 116are all suitable for charging electric vehicles, the high charge rate ofcharging station 162 makes it suitable for a quick charge, and this is aproperty of space 116 not conferred (in this example) by the outlets onstreetlights 132 and 152 to their corresponding spaces 111 and 115.

In FIG. 1, the vehicles parked in spaces 111, 115, and 116 are shownplugged into the corresponding charging outlets on streetlights 132 and152, and charging station 162 with corresponding cables 133, 153, and163.

In some modes of operation, spaces 111 and 115 are marked with indicia134 and 154, respectively, to indicate their property of Level 1electric vehicle charging. In this example, indicia 134 & 154 is asingle letter “E”. Similarly, space 116 is marked with indicia 164 toindicate its property of Level 2 electric vehicle charging, which hereinis shown as “EE”.

Parking spaces may have other properties. For example, and not by way oflimitation, a parking space may have an electrical outlet to be used forengine block heating during extremely cold weather, or a parking spacemay be covered, a premium in hot or stormy weather.

Such properties may be valuable at anytime (e.g., electric vehiclecharging), or only in certain conditions (e.g., engine block heater). Ona mild spring day there may be no value to an engine block heater orhaving a covered parking spot.

Parking spaces lacking exceptional properties such as those mentionedhave the property of being ordinary. Such spaces may be marked with anindicia (not shown) corresponding to being ordinary spaces.

FIG. 2 shows a pass 131 provided by kiosk 110 and displayed in vehicle130, showing the time of expiration 200, the date of issue 201, and anindicia 202 corresponding to the kind of space 111, an “E” for Level 1electric vehicle charging.

FIG. 3 shows a pass 141 provided by kiosk 110 and displayed in vehicle140, showing the time of expiration 300, the date of issue 301, andsince space 113 is an ordinary parking space, instead of an indiciacorresponding to kind, a clock face 302 shows a graphical version of thetime of expiration 300.

In an alternative embodiment, all passes could show a clock face such as302 to illustrate expiration time.

FIG. 4 shows a pass 161 provided by kiosk 110 and displayed in vehicle160, showing the time of expiration 400, the date of issue 401, and anindicia 402 corresponding to the kind of space 116, an “EE” for Level 2electric vehicle charging.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram suitable for implementing the payment stationkiosk 110. A controller 501 has access to storage 502, a display 503 orother user output device, keypad 504 or other user input device, acredit card reader 505 or other payment acceptance device (e.g., an RFIDreader, coin or bill acceptor, etc.), a printer 506 for printing parkingpasses and/or receipts.

In some embodiments, controller 501 may have communication through achannel 507, for example to allow remote management (e.g., allowing anadministrator to monitor the operations of terminal 110 or to modifydata in storage 502), access to remote data tables (e.g., to updatetables kept locally in storage 502, or to upload a snapshot of currentstatus), or to allow remote reporting (e.g., to a terminal belonging toa parking enforcement officer), or allow remote payment (e.g., to aservice accessed from a motorist's cell phone).

In some embodiments, controller 501 may have communication throughsignaling channel 508 to remotely controlled devices 600. For example,signally channel 508 may be used to set or clear a telltale or semaphore(none shown in FIG. 1) to signal a parking violation at any parkingspace by indicating whether or not parking is currently paid for thespace; or to enable or disable a contactor (none shown in FIG. 1) tosupply power for electric vehicle recharging so that power is onlyavailable while the parking space has been paid for. FIG. 6 shows ablock diagram of such a telltale or contactor circuit, wherecommunication from signaling channel 508 can set/enable or clear/disablea telltale/contactor 600.

FIG. 7 shows an example embodiment of management information 700, forholding descriptions and management policies for various kinds ofparking spaces. Management information 700 comprises table of kinds 710,table of rules 720, and table of messages 740.

The Kinds table 710 enumerates each parking space kind known to thesystem, each distinct kind being listed in a separate row. Kind IDcolumn 711 lists four kinds of parking spaces, “O” for ordinary parkingspaces, “E” and “EE” as previously described for electric vehiclecharging spaces, and “H” for engine block heater ready spaces. Iconcolumn 712 lists the indicia for each kind, with the ordinary parkingspace kind having no icon, as indicated by the “-” in Icon column 712.In Description column 713, a brief description of each kind of space isprovided. In Requirements column 714 the requirements for using eachkind of space is listed. The contents of Kinds table 710 are set as amatter of policy by the administrator of the parking area 100.

Rules table 720 provides a convenient way to express policies to governtransactions concerning parking spaces of various kinds. One row inRules table 720 should be provided for each kind listed in Kinds table710, with the correspondence being denoted by the Kind ID column 721.Price-per-Hour column 722 lists the price charged for each hour ofparking in a space of a particular kind, while Time Limit column 723lists the maximum allowed time. The hours during which the prices andtime limits are enforced are listed in From column 724 and To column725. For example, ordinary parking spaces, kind ID “O”, are billed at$1.00 per hour, with a time limit of 2½ hours, from 6 AM to 9 PM.However, Level 2 EV Charging parking spaces, kind ID “EE”, are billed at$10.00 per hour, with a time limit of just ½ hour, 24 hours a day(because the From column starts at midnight, but the To column has noend time specified). Block heater spaces, kind ID “H”, are not presentlyavailable, as indicated by the To column having no start time specified,however during cold weather, the To column might be set to a differentvalue. In the cases of kinds “E” and “H”, Else column 726 indicates analternative kind to be used. Thus, during the summer when block heaterspaces (kind “H”) are treated as ordinary spaces. Similarly, around 7PM, “E” spaces are treated as ordinary spaces, for instance, because thepower tapped from streetlights for charging vehicles, as in spaces 111and 115, may not be available in the evening, or may be reduced, whenthe streetlights are lit.

The remaining columns 727-730 of Rules table 720 are used to associatequestions, answers, and messages useful to clarify and explainrestrictions and requirements for particular kinds of parking spaces. Ineach of Question, Pass Msg, and Fail Msg columns 727, 729, and 730 is amessage ID corresponding to an entry in Messages table 740 in the Msg IDcolumn 741. The text of each message is recorded in Text column 742.Pass Ans column 728 notes which of the two entries means consent inResponse column 743 for the corresponding Msg ID for Question column727. For messages not requiring a response, column 743 contains a nullentry (“-”).

In another embodiment (not shown), Messages table 740 could have eachentry in Description, Requirements, Text and Responses columns 713, 714,742, and 743 in various languages, to be simultaneously, or to beselected by the user during the transaction.

Management information 700 may be kept locally in payment terminal 110,but may be regularly downloaded from a remote server (not shown) orupdated by a remote administrator (not shown) through communicationchannel 507.

FIG. 8 shows status data 800 for use with a parking area in whichparking spaces are uniquely identified. Status data 800 comprises Spacestable 820, which enumerates each of the parking spaces in parking area100. For each space 111-116, the unique identifier 121-126 is recordedin Space ID column 821. Associated with each space record in Spacestable 821 is the kind of the space, recorded in Kind column 822. In thisway, the system 110 can know that space #04 (114) is an ordinary spaceand should be managed according to the entry in Rules table 721 forordinary spaces, etc.

Status data 800 further comprises Active Passes table 810, whichcontains a list of passes that have been issued but have not yetexpired. For each active pass, the space identifier is recorded in SpaceID column 811 and the time of expiration is recorded in Expires column812. For example, FIG. 8 shows there is an active pass for space #05(115) which expires at 10:23 AM.

In another embodiment, for use with a parking area in which parkingspaces are not uniquely identified, or the identifiers are not used forparking pass transactions, status data 900 may be used. Status data 900comprises a Spaces table 920, which enumerates the kinds of spacesavailable in Kind ID column 921 and the count of how many spaces of thatkind are present in parking area 100 in the Count column 922. With suchinformation, system 110 can know how many of what kinds of parkingspaces should be available.

Status data 900 further comprises Active Passes table 910, whichcontains a list of passes that have been issued but have not yetexpired. For each active pass, the kind is recorded in Kind ID column911 and the time of expiration is recorded in Expires column 812.

Note that in Active Passes table 810 or 910, neither Space ID, Kind ID,or Expires columns 811, 812, 911 and 912, nor their combination (withintheir respective tables 810 and 910), represent a unique key to recordsin the corresponding table 810 or 910, though uniqueness will be upheldin a tremendous fraction of the time. This is because two transactionscould be made, at different times, for the same parking space, in thecase of table 810, or for the same kind, in the case of table 910, andfor the same expiration time. Such transaction would leave identicalentries in corresponding Active Passes table 810 or 910. Correct codingof controller 501 can handle such a situation without issue, or table810 or 910, depending upon which is used in an implementation, may beaugmented with a record ID field (not shown) to differentiate betweenotherwise identical records, if desired.

Exemplary transaction process 1000 is shown in FIG. 10, for issuingpasses such as 131, 141, and 161 for parking spaces 111-116 in parkingarea 100 and identified in status data 800 or 900, using the kinds andpolicies represented in management information 700.

For Pay-by-space operations, transaction process 1000 begins at step1001A, where display 503 or other user interface (e.g., on a cell phoneinterfacing through a server through communication channel 507, notshown) prompts a motorist to enter a space identifier. In step 1002A,controller 501 accepts the space number provided by the motorist throughkeypad 504 or other input (e.g., aforementioned cell phone, not shown);and in step 1003 the controller obtains the space's primary kind fromSpaces table 820. Processing then continues at step 1004, discussedbelow.

Alternatively, for Pay-and-Display operations, transaction process 1000begins with step 1001B, where display 503 or other user interfaceprompts a motorist for the kind of space, for example as posted byindicia 134, 154, and 164. An example of a suitable user interface 1100using display 503 is shown in FIG. 11. In this example, Spaces table 920lists each of the possible kinds, for which user selections 1110, 1120,and 1130 are presented, each labeled with a description of the spacetype 1112, 1122, and 1132, respectively, retrieved from Descriptioncolumn 713 in Kinds table 710. If an icon is available in Icon column712, it too is displayed, as shown by icons 1121 and 1131. Otherinformation may be displayed for each kind, such as time limits 1113,1123, and 1133 as taken from Time Limit column 723 in Rules table 720,or requirements as taken from Requirements column 714 in Kinds table710. The motorist may make a selection using keypad 504 (which mayinclude buttons alongside display 503 proximal and corresponding toselections 1110, 1120, and 1130. The motorist's selection of space kindis received in step 1002B and is considered the space's primary kind.

In duration entry step 1004, the system presents a request for themotorists desired duration and the response is accepted.

In step 1005 a test is made to determine whether the current time or thecurrent time plus the duration requested falls outside the operatinghours for the primary kind as listed in the From and To columns 724 and725 of Rules table 720. Effectively, this is a check to see if more thanone parking space kind may apply over the requested duration. If not,processing continues at step 1008 using the time limit of the primarykind from Rules table 720, otherwise, a check is made for an alternativekind in step 1006, where Else column 726 may be listed in time limit forthe space primary kind as listed in the Time Limit column 723 of Rulestable 720. If so, the alternative kind would apply during the hours fromnow through the duration requested that fall outside the operating hoursfor the primary kind.

In select longest time limit step 1007, if the alternative kind is inforce and the current time plus the requested duration does not exceedthe start time (in the From column 724) for the primary kind or thedifferent between the current time and the start time for the primarykind exceeds the time limit of the alternative kind, then thealternative kind time limit is used. Similarly, if the primary kind isin force and the current time plus the requested duration does notexceed the end time (in the To column 725) for the primary kind or thedifference between the current time and the end time for the primarykind exceeds the time limit of the primary kind, then the primary kindtime limit is used. Otherwise, the larger time limit of the primary kindand the alternative kind is used.

In limit check step 1008, the requested duration is compared to thelimit determined at step 1005 or 1007. If the requested duration is lessthan the time limit, processing continues at step 1010. However, if therequested duration exceeds the time limit, the duration is clamped instep 1009 and a warning is provided to the motorist that the actualparking time limit is and that his parking pass will be limited to thatduration.

In questions step 1010, Question column 727 is examined for the firstone of the parking kinds that may apply (i.e., the kind and/or thealternative kind, depending on which is currently in force). In step1010, if an appropriate question not previously asked during thistransaction is found, it is asked in step 1011 by taking the messageidentifier from Question column 727 and finding the corresponding recordin Messages table 740 by matching against MsgID column 741 andretrieving from Text column 742 the message that can be displayed forthe motorist on display 503 (or other user interface). Also, thecorresponding acceptable responses are retrieved from Responses column743 and displayed, too. In response step 1012, the motorist's selectionfrom the available responses is accepted and compared in step 1013 tothe corresponding passing answer form Pass Ans column 728. If thecomparison in step 1013 does not match, then in fail step 1014 a failmessage identifier is fetched from Fail Msg column 730 and correspondingmessage and responses are fetched from Messages table 740 and presented,after which the transaction is cancelled in step 1021. However, if thecomparison in step 1013 does match, that is the motorist's selectedresponse is the passing response, then in pass step 1015 theimplications or restrictions corresponding to the message identifierfound in Pass Msg column 729 are fetched from Messages table 740 andpresented to the motorist. If, upon presentation of the restriction, themotorist chooses to cancel the transaction, the transaction terminatesat step 1021. However, if the motorist accepts, processing continues atstep 1017.

In step 1017, a check is made whether another kind also applies (i.e.,because the additional kind is in force at the beginning of theduration, but the primary kind will be in effect before the durationexpires, or vice versa). If so, processing returns to step 1010. Inquestion step 1010, if no question (or no new question) is identified inRules table 720, then processing continues to step 1017. In step 1017,if no further kinds can apply to this transaction, then processingcontinues at charge calculation step 1018.

In step 1018, the charge for the duration is computed as the amount oftime spent as the primary kind (if any) times the price for the primarykind taken from Price/hr column 722 in Rule table 720, plus the amountof time spent (if any) as the alternative kind (if any) times the pricefor the alternative kind. The resulting price is presented to themotorist and in payment step 1019, the motorist pays for parking, forexample using a credit card reader 505 to initiate a credit cardtransaction carried out though communication channel 507, or othersupported payment mechanism (e.g., bill & coin acceptor, debit card,RFID, PayPal™ via cell phone, etc.). In outcome step 1020, if thepayment transaction failed, the overall transaction is cancelled in step1021 or in an alternative embodiment, the system can off the option toreturn to payment step 1019 to try another payment method.

However, if all has gone well and in outcome step 1020 the paymenttransaction was determined or presumed to have been successful, then inpass generation step 1022, a parking pass such as 131, 141, or 161apropos to the identified space or space kind and the allowed durationis logged to active passes table 810 or 910 (as appropriate) and, for aPay-and-Display operation, printed as a parking pass that may bedisplayed on the dashboard (or other designated location) of themotorist's vehicle or parking space (e.g., a parking pass holder, notshown). Whether or not this is a Pay-and-Display operation, a receiptconveying similar information, including the price paid, may also beprinted.

If parking area 100 has remote actuated devices 600, such as thosediscussed in conjunction with FIG. 6, those corresponding to theidentified spaces or kinds of spaces would be activated in step 1023.Note that such devices corresponding to a particular space identifiercan be directly controlled, but those corresponding to a kind of spacemay be less tightly controlled. For example, if the two “E” chargingspaces 111 and 115 are both energized through contactors 600 controlledremotely by system 110 and in a Pay-and-Display system a motoristpurchases a pass for an “E” space, system 110 may not know whichcharging outlet is about to be used, and thus the contactors 600 forboth must be energized.

Active pass expiration process 1200 is shown in FIG. 12, and is used inconjunction with a Pay-by-Space paradigm, with an expiration scanstarted in step 1201. Such a scan might be run every minute, or lessfrequently, for example if pass expiration times are all rounded to thenext five-minute increment. In initialization step 1202, an index intoActive Passes table 810 is initialized. Step 1203 determines whetherthere is any further active passes. If not, expiration process 1200concludes at step 1201, otherwise the indexed is advanced to the nextpass in table 810 in step 1204. If the current pass expiration time inExpires column 812 is greater than the current time, the pass is notexpired and from test step 1205, the process iterates back to step 1203to see if there are more passes to be considered. However, if thecurrent pass expiration time is less than or equal to the current time,then the pass is expired and, from test step 1205, the process continuesto expired step 1206. In expired step 1206, any remote devices 600associated with the space ID of the current space is deactivated (e.g.,for an electrical vehicle charging outlet contactor), or cleared (e.g.,to raise a violation semaphore). Next, in deletion step 1207, the recordfor the expired pass is removed from Active Passes table 810, and theprocess iterates to step 1203.

For a Pay-and-Display operation, analogous active pass expirationprocess 1300 is shown in FIG. 13. However, there are some differences.As in step 1201, an expiration scan is started in step 1301. Ininitialization step 1302, the index is to Active Passes table 910, andstep 1303 determines whether there is any further active passes,continuing if there are to step 1304 wherein the index is advanced tothe next active pass. If the pass is not expired, then from test step1305 the process iterates to step 1303, but if the pass is expired, thenit is removed in deletion step 1307 before the process iterates.

If in step 1303 there are no further active passes to be examined, theprocess continues to kind scan step 1308. In kind scan step 1308, a testis made for each of the kinds in Spaces table 920 having a non-zerocount in Count column 922 to determine for which, if any, kinds thereare no corresponding active passes of matching kind in Kind ID column911 of active passes table 910. If there are such kinds not representedby active passes, then in deactivation step 1309, remote devices 600corresponding to kinds not represented by active passes can be disabledor cleared (e.g., opening electrical contactors for vehicle charging orraising violation semaphores). Otherwise and afterwards, the expirationprocess 1300 concludes at step 1310.

To facilitate enforcement of parking policies, a report may be providedto parking enforcement officers. This may be through display 503,printer 506, or delivered remotely through communication channel 507,e.g. to a remote terminal, browser, or cell phone via email or othermedium, either directly or through a server (no remote delivery shown).

FIG. 14 shows a status report 1400 generated by the present inventionfor use with individually numbered parking spaces. In the case of aPay-by-Space operation, status report 1400 may comprise a list showingeach space in Space column 1401, the kind of space in Kind column 1402,which may be blank if the space is expected to be unoccupied, and thelatest expiration time for any active, issued pass for the space inExpiry column 1403. (Note that multiple passes may be active for aspace, for instance if a motorist departs before their pass expires anda second motorist purchases a pass for the same spot.)

From status report 1400, parking enforcement can determine that space#05 (115) is expected to be empty and that vehicle 150 is thereforeillegally parked. Such a report allows parking enforcement to determinewhich spaces should be empty, which spaces require vehicles to beplugged into charging systems, and which spaces are soon to expire.

In an alternative embodiment, status database 800 could further comprisea table (not shown) of the most recently expired passes for parkingspaces that should be empty. Such information could be included inExpiry column 1403 to show how long ago the most recent pass forpresumed-empty spaces expired. This would allow enforcement personnel touse report 1400 to prioritize the most egregious offenders, or toimplement a “grace period” policy.

For a Pay-and-Display operation, status report 1500 is shown in FIG. 15.By listing active passes ordered by expiration time in Expiry column1501, it is easier to cross reference passes 131, 141, 161 that arefound displayed in vehicles. Further, the list could be scanned forpremium value space kinds, such as “EE” if desired. Other sort orders ofactive passes may be provided. In another embodiment, recently expiredpasses may be listed, also with their kind, for example to quicklydetermine whether a recently expired pass had been assigned to a premiumparking space type.

Other embodiments may represent rules for kinds of parking spacesdifferently, for example, a complex kind might be represented as a listof consecutive times that progress according to a schedule. Further,parking space kinds may have additional properties (not shown) such asonly applying on weekdays, or being overridden for two hours, one dayper week, for street cleaning. Such extensions to the embodimentpresented are within ordinary skill in the art.

Various additional modifications of the described embodiments of theinvention specifically illustrated and described herein will be apparentto those skilled in the art, particularly in light of the teachings ofthis invention. It is intended that the invention cover allmodifications and embodiments, which fall within the spirit and scope ofthe invention. For example, while many of the foregoing embodiments useda relational database paradigm because of its efficient and clearillustrative qualities, those skilled in the art will recognize thatother data organizations and other software techniques can be used toachieve the results of the present invention. Thus, while preferredembodiments of the present invention have been disclosed, it will beappreciated that it is not limited thereto but may be otherwise embodiedwithin the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A multi-space parking metering method to supportremotely controlling electric vehicle (EV) charging devices locatedamong multiple parking spaces, the method comprising: a) automaticallyreceiving, by a controller of a multi-space parking meter kiosk, througha user interface of the kiosk, a first parking request from a firstmotorist, said controller configured to meter a plurality of parkingspaces, the plurality having at least two parking space kinds, said atleast two parking space kinds comprising both a first parking space kindfor parking spaces having an EV charging device and a second parkingspace kind for parking spaces having no EV charging device, thecontroller having communication through a signaling channel to enableand disable the EV charging device for parking spaces of the first kind,the controller further configured to control the parking spaces of thefirst kind, wherein at least a first parking space is the first kind andhas a first EV charging device remote from the kiosk, and a secondparking space is the second kind, said user interface promptingmotorists for an identifier corresponding to one of the plurality ofparking spaces, the first parking request comprising a first identifierprovided by the first motorist with the user interface, the firstidentifier from a first indicium at the first parking space, the firstidentifier corresponding to both the first parking space and the firstEV charging device; b) based on at least the first parking request,automatically both enabling, with the signaling channel, by thecontroller, the first EV charging device and recording, by thecontroller, in a memory accessible to the controller, a first dataassociated with the first parking space, the first data representativeof a first time of expiration; c) automatically receiving, by thecontroller, a second parking request from a second motorist, the secondparking request comprising at least a second identifier entered by thesecond motorist with the user interface, the second identifiercorresponding to the second parking space, the second identifier havingbeen presented to the second motorist by a second indicium at the secondparking space; d) based on at least the second parking request,automatically recording, by the controller, in the memory, a second dataassociated with the second parking space, the second data representativeof a second time of expiration; and, e) based on the first data,automatically disabling, with the signaling channel, by the controller,the first EV charging device, when the first time of expiration is notlater than the current time.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprisingthe step of: f) accepting a payment from the first motorist, by thecontroller, wherein the payment is based on at least the first parkingspace kind and b) is further based on the payment.
 3. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising the step of: f) accepting a payment from thesecond motorist, by the controller, wherein the payment is based on atleast the second kind and d) is further based on the payment.
 4. Themethod of claim 1 wherein said at least two parking space kinds furthercomprise one or more of the following: a kind for a parking space havinga faster EV charging device, a kind for a parking space having an engineheater, a kind for a covered parking space, and a kind for an ordinaryparking space.
 5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:f) displaying, by the controller, with the user interface, one or morequestions to the first motorist; and, g) accepting, by the controller,through the user interface, one or more answers from the first motoristin response to said one or more questions, said first parking requestfurther comprising at least one of the answers.
 6. The method of claim 1further comprising the steps of: f) providing a report, to a parkingenforcement officer, by the controller, based on data in the memory, thedata associated with parking spaces of the plurality of parking spaces,the report comprising one of a list of parking spaces expected to beempty and a list of parking spaces with an expected occupancy of each,the report provided with a device selected from a printer of the parkingkiosk, a display of the parking kiosk, a cell phone, a browser, and aremote terminal, the controller having communication with the device. 7.The method of claim 1, wherein each parking space of the second kind isassociated with a corresponding remotely controlled device selected froman engine warmer and a contactor, the controller having communicationthrough the signaling channel to enable the remotely controlled devicefor a parking space of the second kind, the controller furtherconfigured to control parking spaces of the second kind, the methodfurther comprising the step of: f) enabling, by the controller, theremotely controlled device corresponding to the second parking space inresponse to at least the second parking request.
 8. The method of claim1 wherein each parking space of the second kind is associated with aremotely controlled device selected from a telltale and a violationsemaphore, the controller having communication to activate the remotelycontrolled device, the controller further configured to control parkingspaces of the second kind, the method further comprising the step of: f)activating, by the controller, the remotely controlled devicecorresponding to the second parking space in response to the second timeof expiration being later than the current time.
 9. The method of claim1 wherein the first communication is to a power source contactor circuitfor supplying power to the first EV charging device.
 10. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the first communication is to the first EV chargingdevice.
 11. The method of claim 1 wherein the controller comprises acommunication device, the method further comprising: f) accepting apayment from the first motorist, by the controller; wherein thecommunication is on the basis of the communication device sensing thefirst identifier in a payment transaction from the controller to abilling center.
 12. The method of claim 1 wherein the first parkingrequest further comprises a duration and the first time of expiration isbased on the duration.
 13. A multi-space parking meter kiosk for remotecontrol of electric vehicle (EV) charging devices located among multipleparking spaces served by the kiosk, the kiosk comprising: a controllerconfigured to meter and control a plurality of parking spaces, theplurality having parking spaces of at least two kinds comprising a firstparking space kind for parking spaces having an EV charging device and asecond parking space kind for parking spaces having no EV chargingdevice, the plurality comprising at least a first parking space that isthe first kind with a first EV charging device remote from the kiosk anda second parking space that is the second kind; a user interface incommunication with the controller; and, a signaling channel, throughwhich the controller communicates to enable and disable the EV chargingdevices of parking spaces of the first kind; wherein the controllerprompts motorists, with the user interface, for an identifiercorresponding to one of the plurality of parking spaces; accepts, withthe user interface, a first parking request from a first motorist, thefirst parking request comprising at least a first identifier from afirst indicium at the first parking space, the first identifiercorresponding to both the first parking space and the first EV chargingdevice; on the basis of at least the first request both enables, withthe signaling channel, the first EV charging device and records, in amemory accessible to the controller, a first data associated with thefirst parking space, the first data representative of a first time ofexpiration; disables, with the signaling channel, the first EV chargingdevice, based on at least the first data when the first time ofexpiration is not later than the current time; accepts a second parkingrequest from a second motorist providing at least a second identifierfrom a second indicium at the second parking space, the secondidentifier corresponding to the second parking space; and, on the basisof at least the second request records, in the memory, a second dataassociated with the second parking space, the second data representativeof a second time of expiration.
 14. The kiosk of claim 13, wherein thecontroller further accepts a payment from the first motorist, thepayment based on at least the first kind, and both the first EV chargingdevice being enabled and the first data being recorded are on thefurther basis of the payment.
 15. The kiosk of claim 13, wherein thecontroller further accepts a payment from the second motorist, thepayment based on the at least the second kind, and the second data isrecorded on the further basis of the payment.
 16. The kiosk of claim 13wherein said at least two kinds further comprises one or more of thefollowing: a kind for a parking space having a faster EV chargingdevice, a kind for a parking space having an engine heater, a kind for acovered parking space, and a kind for an ordinary parking space.
 17. Thekiosk of claim 13 wherein the controller, with the user interface,further displays one or more questions to the first motorist and fromthe first motorist accepts one or more answers in response to said oneor more questions, and said first parking request further comprises atleast one of the answers.
 18. The kiosk of claim 13 wherein thecontroller further provides a report to a parking enforcement officerbased on data in the memory, the data associated with parking spaces ofthe plurality of parking spaces, the report comprising one of a list ofparking spaces expected to be empty and a list of parking spaces with anexpected occupancy of each, the report provided with a device selectedfrom a printer of the parking kiosk, a display of the parking kiosk, acell phone, a browser, and a remote terminal, the controller havingcommunication with the device.
 19. The kiosk of claim 13 wherein eachparking space of the second kind is associated with a correspondingremotely controlled device selected from an engine warmer and acontactor; the controller having communication through the signalingchannel to enable the remotely controlled device of parking spaces ofthe second kind, the controller further configured to control parkingspaces of the second kind; and the controller further enables theremotely controlled device corresponding to the second parking space inresponse to at least the second parking request.
 20. The kiosk of claim13 wherein each parking space of the second kind is associated with acorresponding remotely controlled device selected from a telltale and aviolation semaphore; the controller having communication through thesignaling channel to activate the remotely controlled device of parkingspaces of the second kind, the controller further configured to controlparking spaces of the second kind; and the controller activates theremotely controlled device corresponding to the second parking space inresponse to the second time of expiration being later than the currenttime.